Core blower



April 26, 1949. J. 5. JUDELL CORE BLOWER Filed May 3, 1946 IN V EN TOR. 55W

MW)? MW ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 26, 1949 001m BLOWER Julius S. Judell, Shorewood, Wis., assignor to Western Hardware & Specialty Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 3, 1946, Serial No. 667,035

1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to improvements in the art of manufacturing cores for foundry work, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and operation of sand core blowing devices or mechanisms.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful sand core blower, which is simple and. durable in construction, highly efiicient and reliable in operation, and flexible in its adaptations.

It has heretofore been common commercial practice to manufacture sand cores for diverse purposes, by utilizing compressed air to blow the bulk sand into a mold and to compress the sand mass within the molding or forming cavity; and while this method of producing such cores has proven quite successful and practical, the prior mechanisms for carrying on the blowing method are all objectionable for various reasons. Most of these prior mechanisms are relatively complicated and cumbersome, and are therefore costly and require considerable space for installation thereof; while some are difficult to operate or manipulate, and cannot be readily utilized for the production of cores of dilierent shapes and sizes. In some of the previous core blowers, it has also been proposed to supply the sand to the molds directly from successive cartridges each adapted to hold a batch of sand sufiicient to fill a limited number of molds; and while this mode of sand supply is desirable and facilitates the production of relatively small cores in rapid succession, the prior cartridge type machines required the use of a number of rather complicated manually operable compressed air control valves and were therefore rather difiicult to manipulate.

The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of an improved cartridge sand supply type of core blower which is semi-automatic in action and wherein the successive cores may be rapidly and efiectively produced with minimum effort on the part of the operator.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved sand core blowing unit which is simple and compact in structure, and which is also adapted to cooperate most efliciently with molds of various sizes and shapes.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved core blowing assemblage wherein the compressed air is automatically admitted to a sand supply cartridge associated directly with the mold, only after the cartridge has been clamped to the mold, and in which the air supply is promptly interrupted when the, clamping pressure is released.

2 Still another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved sand batch supply cartridge for core blowers, from which the sand is adapted to be most effectively delivered to the successive molds, and which is not susceptible to undesirable clogging.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several features constituting my present improvement, and of the mode of constructing and operating sand core blowers embodying the invention, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters designate th same or similar parts in the two views.

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic and part sectional front elevation of atypical cartridge type sand core blowing unit embodying my invention, showing a typical core mold and a sand supply cartridge resting loosely thereon, both in section; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary central vertical section through the cartridge clamping andcompressed air supply mechanism, a fragment of a mold, and the sand supply cartridge, the section through the latter being taken at right angles to the plane of section of Fig. 1.

While the invention has been shown and described as being advantageously applicable to a typical vertically disposed unit for producing relatively small cores in rapid succession, it is not my desire or intention to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope or utility of the improved features by virtue of this limited disclosure.

Referring to the drawing, the improved sand.

core blower shown therein by way of illustration comprises in general a main approximately rectangular open frame having a base plate 5 and a pair of spaced upper cross-beams B firmly secured to the plate 5 by means of laterally separated opposite side channel beams l, 8 respec-,

tively; a compressed air actuated power cylinder l0 having an upper head i l and being vertically adjustably supported above the cross-beams 6 byv means of a bracket l2 and upright sectional rods l3 having turnbuckles i ltherein, the cylinder li) also having therein a reciprocable piston l5 provided With a vertically movable piston rod 16 which penetrates the lower cylinder head I1; a vertically reciprocable elongated compressed air supply tube l9 slidable in a guide bearing 20 confined between the cross beams 6 and being suspendedat its upper end from the piston l6 by means of a compressed air supply T-fitting 2| and an air admission nipple 22, while its lower end is provided with a compressed air discharge valve 23 having an integral tubular lower projection 24 to which a cartridge clamping plate 25 is secured; one or more sand batch supply cartridges 2'! each having anupwardly open upper tubular section 28 communicable with the valve projection and engageable with the plate 25 through a resilient sealing disc 29, and being provided with a downwardly spreading tapered lower mold contacting section 3'0 having a series of sand discharge openings or orifices 3| therein; andadjustable mechanism associated with elongated slots i331formed.

in the frame side channels I, 8 and being cooperable with molds 34 of different sizes and shapes to properly position and hold the moldswhilebeing blown full of sand 35.

The main frame 4 may be constructed of structural steel beams Welded or otherwise united to provide a rigid assemblage,and'the base vplate 5 should preferably be provided witha fiat upper.

worksupporting surface upon which the molds =34 naybemounted through intervening plates. or

blocks 36 of suitable thickness. The power cylinder-l has a piston strokeof definite length, and is therefore preferably firmly but adjustably supported upon the main frame 4 so that vertical bodily adjustment .of the cylinder I0 is possible, and the turn-buckles l4 asociated with the cylinder mounting rods |3 provide :for such cylinder adjustment. This vertical .adjustability of the power cylinder I0 is desirable in order to permit operation'with molds 34 of 'diiferentheights, and without disturbing the position of the baseplate Compressed air for actuating'thetpiston l5 of thepower cylinder Ill, may-be suppliedfrom any suitable source through flexible conduits 37, 38

communicating respectively with the upper and lower piston displacementchambers of:thecylinder :I0. and with a common control valve 39 mounted upon the main frame 4. This air supply and exhaust valve 39 maybe of any suitable type adapted to alternately admit-compressed'air to the piston displacementchambers from'a supply pipe wyandto exhaust the spent air from the inactivechambers when the piston |=5 and rod l6 are moved down and up; and the valve 39 is manually operable to lower the piston and rod I6 by means of a lever 42 having thereon'a Weight for automatically'shiftingthe lever and'valve to elevate the piston and rod whenever the lever 42 is released. As will be apparent from the'subsequent description of the operation 'ofthe unit, downward swinging of the lever 42 is the only manual operation required to blow a core, all other operations being performed automatically.

The cylinder heads ll, l1 may be clamped to the ends 'ofthe cylinder ID by means of bolts 44 as shown, and the lower head I 1 .is provided with the usual packing inorder to prevent undesirable escape of air from the cylinder. The lower 8X7 tremity of the piston rod I6 is rigidly attached to th'e'T-fitting 2| in alinement withthe nipple 22 which communicates with the air supply tube 19 and supports the same, and compressed air may be supplied to the fitting 2| and tube I 9 from any suitable source through a flexible conduit '45 and a coupling 46. The air delivery end of the conduit 45 issupported from the piston rod l6'by means ofa rigid arm '41 and a collar '48 embracing the conduit and pivotally suspended from the outer end of-the arm, so that 'the'end of the-flexible conduit '45 will 'always be heldin 'alinement with the 4 coupling 46 and will not undesirably stress the T-fitting 2|.

The upper end of the elongated compressed air supply member or tube I9 is provided with a cap 50 to which the nipple 22 is attached, and the lower end of this tube I9 is enclosed by a cap 5| having a flexible valvesea'ting disc '52 clamped thereto'by-the tube end; see Fig. 2. Th'efiexible discs 29, 52 may be formed of rubber or the like, and the tubular lower projection 24 of the valve 23zis-s1idable through alined central bores in the cap 5| and disc 52, while the valve 23 also has an integralupwardly extending guide rod 53' coacting with a guidingjbracket 54 secured within the tube |9. A'helical compression spring 55 surrounds the guide rod 53 and coacts with the valve 23 and withthe bracket 54 so as to constantly urge the valve 23 toward its seating disc 24; and the valve opening plate 25 which is firmly secured to the lower end .of lthehollow valve projection 24 by meansrof awnut .56, is composed of an inner'flat circular element 5'! 'and'an outer ring 58 'whi'chis" fastened to the element'5Ii'bysetscrews 59 and.

coacts therewith and with the nut;56 to .firmly hold the .resilientsealing vdisc '29 in place.

Aspreviouslyindicated, each of the sand, sup

ply-cartridges 21 comprises an upper tubular section, 28 and a .lower enlarged and downwardlytapered spreading section .30, -,cooperating to provide a relatively large chamber for confining la batchof sand 35 or the like, andjthe upper. ex-

tremity ofthe'tubularsection 28.is provided with an annular flange 6| adapted to be clampingly andsealingly engaged by the disc 29. The interior of each cartridge 2;! is. entirely unobstructedand the spreadingformation of the lower section 30 is desirable in order to permit the sand .35 to spreadout and loosen so as to enable, the air to mingle with and transport "the sand particlesinto the molds .34 ina most effective-and periodically refilledfrom any suitablevsource of sand supply, through the upper openings in the tube sections 28.

The .coretmolds 34'may be of diverse sizesand shapes and .are usually formed of two cooperating, sections one of whichrhas ,a series of'sandand air admission openings 62 therein, while the other is provided with ya plurality of relatively small air escape openings 53. The sand laden cartridges 2! are adapted to 'be disposed'upon and clamped to the molds .3'4 with a number of the cartridge discharge-orifices 3| in open communication with a number of the mold inlet openings 62, and the air escape openings 63 should'be in open communication with the atmosphere. The sand 35 which is blown into and ultimately completely fills the interior of each mold "34; is compressed and packedso as to produce a stable core readily removable by merely separating the two sections of the mold; and in order to prevent undesirable separation of the mold sections during the blowing operation, itispreferable to provide means for clamping these sections together.

As shown in .detail'ln Fig. 51, Ihave provided improved adjustable mechanism for properly positioning and for holding the separable sections of the molds "34to'gether, and this mechanism 7.

comprises in general a horizontal reaction screw the side beam 8, and a horizontal jack screw 65 likewise adjustably mounted in the vertical slot 33 of the opposite side beam I, the jack screw 65 bein disposed in approximately horizontal alinement with the screw 64 and being manipulable with the aid of a handle 66 secured to its outer end. The inner ends of the screws 64, 65 are formed for coaction with the adjacent sections of the intervening molds 34, through swivel blocks 61 and holding plates til, and the reaction screw 64 is adapted to be clamped in adjusted position within the adjacent slot 33 by means of a special nut 69 having an integral extension projecting into the slot, and a nut ill and washer ll coacting with the beam 8 outwardly of the slot 33. The reaction screw 34 may therefore be lockedin various positions along the slot 33 and may also be locked in various positions of axial or longitudinal adjustment, in order to insure proper cooperation with molds 3d of different sizes and shapes. The medial portion of the jack screw 65 has screw thread coaction with a bushing 12 which is vertically adjustable along the slot 33 of the side beam 1, and in order to support the inner end of the screw '55, a prop l3 of variable length may also be provided, thus likewise permitting both vertical and axial adjustment of the jack screw so as to insure proper co-- operation with molds 34 of various sizes and shapes.

When the improved core blowing unit has been properly constructed and assembled, it may be quickly and conveniently adapted for cooperation with molds 32 of diverse sizes and shapes by merely manipulating the turnbuckles I l to properly position the power cylinder Ill relative to the base plate 5, and by adjusting the screws 64, 65 so as to insure proper cooperation of the positioning plates 68 with the successive selected molds 34, whereupon the successive cores may be blown in rapid succession as follows. An empty mold 34 should then be positioned upon the block 36 between the holding plates 68, whereupon a cartridge 2? may be loaded With sand 35 and set upon the mold 345 with the orifices 3| in open communication with the sand inlet openings 52 of the mold. The air supply conduits cc, i5 should be connected to the compressed air supply, and when the lever 42 is subsequently manipulated to actuate the valve 39 so as to admit compressed air above the piston 15 and to release the air confined beneath this piston, the member or tube I9 will be promptly lowered to first bring the flexible disc 29 into clamping and sealing contact with the top flange 5| of the cartridge 2?, and to thereafter open the valve 23 by compressing the spring 55.

When the compressed air supply valve is thus opened, air under pressure is freely admitted from the supply conduit it through the coupling 46, fitting 2 i, nipple 22 and tube 59, into the upper sealed end of the cartridge 2'1, and quickly permeates the loose sand 35 within the cartridge and forces sand through the orifices 3i and openings 62 into the mold cavity in suficient quantities to completely fill the mold 5d. The sand thus blown into the mold is thoroughly packed and compressed and the transporting air quickly escapes through the outlet openings 83, thus completing the core in but a ver short period of time. The operator need only release the lever 32 after the core has been blown, whereupon the weight a; will operate the valve 39 so as to adnrL't air under pressure beneath the piston 55 and to permit the air to escape from above this piston, whereby the tube 19 will be promptly lifted away from the cartridge 21 and the air injection valve 23 will be quickly closed by the spring 55. The cartridge 21 may then be lifted from the mold 34 and set upon the base plate 5, and the mold 34 may thereafter removed and separated for withdrawal of the completed core, whereupon the cycle may be promptly repeated to produce subsequent cores in an obvious manner.

From the foregoing detailed description of the construction and operation of my improved sand core blowing unit, it will be apparent that the present invention provides an improved assemblage which besides being simple, compact and durable in construction, is capable of quickly and efiectively producing cores in rapid succession. The operation is positive and automatic except for the manual actuation of the valve 39 to lower the piston i5 and tube 19, and this valve 39 may either be hand or foot actuated. The various parts of the assembly may be conveniently adjusted to produce large or small cores of various shapes, and the cartridges 2? may be made of sufficient capacity to fill a number of molds 34 in succession. By causing the disc 29 to seal the cartridge 2? before air is admitted thereto, undesirable escape of compressed air is avoided, and the spring 55 performs the dual function of closing the valve 23 and of clamping the cartridges 2! against the molds 34. The spreading lower sections 38 of the sand supply cartridges 2'! also eliminate possible clogging and insure uniform distribution of the sand 35, and also provide maximum sand confining space within the cartridges. The invention has proven highly satisfactory and successful in actual use, and the mechanism is operable by a novice to produce perfect cores in rapid succession and at minimum cost.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of operation, herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

A core blower comprising, a rectangular frame having a fixed horizontal lower mold support and a pair of horizontal upper cross-beams rigidly connected with the support by upright side beams, a pair of upright rods extending upwardly from said cross-beams and having a vertically adjustable bracket secured to the upper ends thereof, an air actuated power motor suspended from said bracket and having a piston rod reciprocable within the space between said upright rods toward and away from said cross-beams, an elongated eompressed air supply tube suspended coaxially from the lower end of said piston rod and being guided for vertical reciprocation between said cross-beams, an air delivery valve slidably confined within the lower end of said tube and having a tubular end protruding beyond the tube end, a combined sealing and clamping disc secured to said protruding tubular valve end, means for constantly resiliently urging said valve and disc downwardly, a sand supply cartridge insertible between said disc and a mold resting upon said lower mold support, and means for actuating said power motor to cause said disc to initially seal and clamp said cartridge and to thereafter open said valve to admit compressed air from said supply tube through said cartridge to the mold.

JULIUS S. JUDELL.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following'references are of record-in the filenof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Date Name

Hewlett et a1 Dec..26, 1905 Hewlett June 19, 19.06 Goodchild Sept. 8, 1925 Candler Feb. 26, 1929 Curren Dec. 31, 1929 Harvey July 26, 1932 Number Name Date.

1,994,028 .Rolfi Mar. 12,1935 2,049,732 Blake V Aug; 4,11936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 543,832 Germany ,Feb. 12, 1932 OTHER REFERENCES 10 The Foundry, page 242, in December. 1944 issue.

The Foundxy, page 212, inJu1y1945 issue. 

